The Megalania Prisca is a giant monitor liazard ( lania in latin name ) which is the world’s largest lizard had extincted 40,000 years ago is believed to be the fossilised animal of the Komodo dragon. Just like the Kangaroo and the Chunia illuminata, the Megalania Prisca can also be found in Australia - South Australia and New South Wales and mostly in Darling Downs – Queensland along the border line of New South Wales. It’s a farming area and it’s surrounded by hills. Large vegetation and crops growing takes place in the Darling Downs. Megalania prica can also be found in grasslands and woodlands.
Structural Adaptation 1 The Megalania prisca has a really strong and heavily built structure – including it’s heavily built limbs and a well structured skull. The size of the whole Megalania prisca is many times larger than a Komodo Dragon. How this adaptation helps the Megalania prisca is that with the heavy structure and the huge size, the Megalania prisca can easy fight or attack on it’s enemies and prey animals. Moreover, just even looking at it’s huge size, other animals will be afraid of the Megalania prisca and escape and leave. An environmental pressure that could've given rise to this adaptation is that when the Megalania prisca wants to dominate a specific place by itself and it doesn't want any other animals in that territory so therefore, the Meglania prisca can use it's huge size body to scare other animals off.
Structural Adaptation 2
The Megalania Prisca has sharp teeths which is similar to the Etruscan Bear which is curved and evenly spaced out inside the mouth. How this helps the Megalania Prisca is that it’s sharp, curved and evenly spaced out makes it easier for the Meglania prisca to chew and eat on the prey animal. Even it’s sharp teeth can kill the prey animal. An environmental pressure that could’ve given rise to this adaptation is that the Megalania prisca feeds on a prey animal that it's caught and it needs to feed it through the mouth and the sharp teeth can help !
Disgram of Structural adaptations of Megalania Prisca Image Sorce : http://web.me.com/hivestudios/Hive-Evolved/About_files/megalania_skinRender_02.png
Behavioural Adaptation 1
Instead of being easily ambushed, the Megalania Prisca ambushes prey animals in order to feed on them by using it's sharp claws and teeth. The Meglania Prisca's ability to ambush other animals helps the Meglania Prisca itself by being able to kill other animals either to feed on it or as a self - defense during a fight or attack of it's enemy. An environmental pressure that could've given rise to this adaptation is that sometimes, the Meglania prisca had focused on a prey animal that it has spotted and hope to feed on it but in order to feed on it, it has to ambush the prey animal first - kill it and then feed on it.
Behavioural Adaptation 2
The Megalania prisca can eat animal in very large size even animals larger than itself. How this helps the Meglania Prisca is that it's a threat to not just it's enemies but also to animals whos bigger than the Meglania Prisca itself. Yes, that animal may be bigger in size than the Meglania prisca, but they may not have realised that the Megalania prisca does have the ability to eat them until the moment that the Megalania prisca suddenly attackes them back and it'eat. An environmental pressure that could've given rise to this adaptation is that if and when the Megalania prisca really does meet an animal which is larger in size than the Megalania prisca itself, it can still have the ability to eat the animal.
Physiological adaptation
The Megalania prisca has a scent organ and that sent organ helps it to detect different smells including ordors. How this helps the Megalania prsica is that it’s scent organ has lead to the Megalania prisca to have a great and keen sense of smell and with that great and keen sense of smell, the Megalania prisca can detect smell or odors of their enemy. An enviornmental pressure that could've given rise to this adaption is that sometimes the Megalania prisca may need use their sensative smelling sense to not just to detect ordors from o f it's enemy but also to detect oders and smells of other animals nearby so when they can smell it, they can attack on that animal.
Modern Animal : Komodo DragonFuture Animal : Watergon
THE MEGALANIA PRISCA
Habitat of the Megalania Prisca
The Megalania Prisca is a giant monitor liazard ( lania in latin name ) which is the world’s largest lizard had extincted 40,000 years ago is believed to be the fossilised animal of the Komodo dragon. Just like the Kangaroo and the Chunia illuminata, the Megalania Prisca can also be found in Australia - South Australia and New South Wales and mostly in Darling Downs – Queensland along the border line of New South Wales. It’s a farming area and it’s surrounded by hills. Large vegetation and crops growing takes place in the Darling Downs. Megalania prica can also be found in grasslands and woodlands.
Adaptations of the Megalania Prisca
Structural Adaptation 1
The Megalania prisca has a really strong and heavily built structure – including it’s heavily built limbs and a well structured skull. The size of the whole Megalania prisca is many times larger than a Komodo Dragon. How this adaptation helps the Megalania prisca is that with the heavy structure and the huge size, the Megalania prisca can easy fight or attack on it’s enemies and prey animals. Moreover, just even looking at it’s huge size, other animals will be afraid of the Megalania prisca and escape and leave. An environmental pressure that could've given rise to this adaptation is that when the Megalania prisca wants to dominate a specific place by itself and it doesn't want any other animals in that territory so therefore, the Meglania prisca can use it's huge size body to scare other animals off.
Structural Adaptation 2
The Megalania Prisca has sharp teeths which is similar to the Etruscan Bear which is curved and evenly spaced out inside the mouth. How this helps the Megalania Prisca is that it’s sharp, curved and evenly spaced out makes it easier for the Meglania prisca to chew and eat on the prey animal. Even it’s sharp teeth can kill the prey animal. An environmental pressure that could’ve given rise to this adaptation is that the Megalania prisca feeds on a prey animal that it's caught and it needs to feed it through the mouth and the sharp teeth can help !
Behavioural Adaptation 1
Instead of being easily ambushed, the Megalania Prisca ambushes prey animals in order to feed on them by using it's sharp claws and teeth. The Meglania Prisca's ability to ambush other animals helps the Meglania Prisca itself by being able to kill other animals either to feed on it or as a self - defense during a fight or attack of it's enemy. An environmental pressure that could've given rise to this adaptation is that sometimes, the Meglania prisca had focused on a prey animal that it has spotted and hope to feed on it but in order to feed on it, it has to ambush the prey animal first - kill it and then feed on it.
Behavioural Adaptation 2
The Megalania prisca can eat animal in very large size even animals larger than itself. How this helps the Meglania Prisca is that it's a threat to not just it's enemies but also to animals whos bigger than the Meglania Prisca itself. Yes, that animal may be bigger in size than the Meglania prisca, but they may not have realised that the Megalania prisca does have the ability to eat them until the moment that the Megalania prisca suddenly attackes them back and it'eat. An environmental pressure that could've given rise to this adaptation is that if and when the Megalania prisca really does meet an animal which is larger in size than the Megalania prisca itself, it can still have the ability to eat the animal.
Physiological adaptation
The Megalania prisca has a scent organ and that sent organ helps it to detect different smells including ordors. How this helps the Megalania prsica is that it’s scent organ has lead to the Megalania prisca to have a great and keen sense of smell and with that great and keen sense of smell, the Megalania prisca can detect smell or odors of their enemy. An enviornmental pressure that could've given rise to this adaption is that sometimes the Megalania prisca may need use their sensative smelling sense to not just to detect ordors from o f it's enemy but also to detect oders and smells of other animals nearby so when they can smell it, they can attack on that animal.
Bibliography
Webpage
Megalania (2010) Retrieved July 17 2010 fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalania
Carnivora Seberian Tiger v Megalania (2010) Retrived July 17, 2010 form
http://www.carnivoraforum.com/index.cgi?board=interspecific&action=display&thread=6913&page=1
Animal Planet (2010) Megalania : Prehistoric Animals Retrieved July 18, 2010 from http://animal.discovery.com/prehistoric/megalania/anatomy.html
Australian Museum (2010) Megalania Prsica Retrieved July 21, 2010 from
http://australianmuseum.net.au/Megalania-prisca